Heater unit



9, 1932. M. 0. JENNINGS 1,871,271

HEATER UNIT Original Filed Jan. 51, 1925 Jim/42 1901':

Patented Aug. 9, 1932 UNITED ST MELVIN 0. JENNINGS, OF LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T HARRY H. BECKWITH, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS HEATER UNIT Original application filed January 31, 1925, Serial No. 6,158. Divided and. this application filed January 10, 1930. Serial No. 419,881.

This invention relates to heating units by which, if desired, dry and moist heat may be produced simultaneously. Such a unit is of particular utility in connection with the treatment of shoes preparatory to lasting, the subject matter of this application having been divided out from my application Serial No. 6,158 filed January 31, 1925, for shoe heaters. Considerable difiiculty has been experienced heretofore with moist heating units due to their overheating and becoming damaged when the supply of water therefor has become exhausted. The unit of this invention, therefore, consists of a plate provided with any suitable form of resistance element so proportioned relative thereto that the unit can operate without injury in air. A portion only of the plate has fixed thereto a 1 Water receptacle in such a manner that the water therein is vaporized by heat conducted thereto by the heater. When so constructed the unit does not become overheated should water be absent from the receptacle, since the heater is designed to operate without overheating in the air.

For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the heating element.

Figure 2 is a transverse section through a shoe heater showing the unit of Figure 2 in position therein.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the heating unit in the shape of a flat plate which may be provided with any suitable type of resistor elements therein not shown) by which it may be brought to a suitable high temperature in the air. To this unit is shown fixed a water receptacle 2 which is of less width than the plate portion 1 and is shown as fixed thereto and against the upper face thereof by any suitable means such as metallic screws 3, which act to clamp the receptacle into intimate contact with the plate portion 1 and act to conduct heat from the plate portion to the water space of the receptacle 2. This receptacle may be provided with an opening 4 at any suitable point to receive pipe connections by which water may be the plate 1 beneath the receptacle thus acts to heat water in the receptacle when water is therein while the portion which extends out from beneath the receptacle 2 as at 5 is out of close contact with the receptacle and acts as a dry heater. The heating unit thus constructed may be mounted in a shoe heater as shown, for example, in Figure 2 in which indicates an elongated receptacle within which the unit may be fixed, as by means of ears 11, which may be secured by screws or the like to the end walls of the receptacle. Preferably the interior of the receptacle beneath the unit is lined with heat insulating material as shown at 12. The receptacle 10 is shown as provided with'a roof portion which arches over the heating unit and merges with a front wall 16 provided with one or more openings as at 17 through which the toe portion of shoes as shown in dotted lines at 18 may be inserted so as to extend into the space above the heating element and beneath the roof portion 15 to permit the heated, or heated and moistened air, as may be desired, to contact therewith, thus to condition the shoe parts for the lasting operadensing in the draft opening 20 and conducting this moisture away from the shoe. A similar trough member 22 may be fixed about the inner margin of the shoe opening 17 for a similar purpose in connection with moisture which may be condensed within the chamber above the heater.

An embodiment ofthis invention having thus been described, it should be evident to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications might be made therein without departing from the spirit or' scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the class described comprising a heating unit formed in the shape of a flat plate, and a trough of less Width than said plate fixed to and against the upper face thereof.

2. A device of the class described comprising aheating unit formed in the shape of a fiat plate and a trough of-less Width than said plate fixed thereto along one edge.

3. A device of the class described comprising a heating unit formed in the shape of a 1 flat plate, a trough of less Width than said unit and overlying said unit along one edge, and metallic fasteners passed through the base of said trough and into said unit.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my Sig nature. 1 V

MELVIN 0. JENNINGS. 

